


where you felt safe

by soaringslash



Category: BlazBlue
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Ragna-Typical Swearing, Timeline What Timeline, amane astral'd jin, honestly this isnt shippy but i know my brand so its getting tagged anyway, ragna being a good big brother, they both have ptsd, very very very implied child abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 03:08:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29769759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soaringslash/pseuds/soaringslash
Summary: part of the ragjin gift exchange!Prompt: Ragna ends up with a handful of deaged Jin, who very much remembers that he wants to murder his nii-san but is also a strange mix of woefully adorable and frighteningly efficient in his ambush attempts. Eventually, Ragna just brings him along on his journey while trying to get him back to normal, because this is a level of strange too weird to comprehend.
Relationships: Jin Kisaragi & Ragna the Bloodedge (BlazBlue), Jin Kisaragi/Ragna the Bloodedge (BlazBlue)
Kudos: 7





	where you felt safe

He’s… smaller than Ragna expected. His narrow shoulders are drawn as he looks staunchly away, brow furrowed and Yukianesa clutched tight to his chest. Even from here, Ragna can see how tensely he holds himself, coiled tight like a spring, ready to bolt or fight at the slightest provocation.

This… isn’t a Jin he knows. He knows the little boy that always hid behind him and cried in fear when the moon rose in the sky, and he knows _(as well as he can)_ the cruel and merciless man that little boy grew into. 

The Jin standing before him is neither of those. He is one of the steps in between; from a part of his life that Ragna missed out on. Those green eyes aren’t wide and innocent anymore, but he still looks like he knows how to smile.

By his side is a man, all pinks and purples. Amane, Ragna thinks. Or something like that. His hands are on his hips as he looks Ragna up and down.

“Sooo… Can you handle him?”

“... Eh?” Ragna grunts. He’s not very articulate on the best of days, and this has him particularly dumbstruck. He flounders for the words. “Shit. Probably?”

Amane shrugs. “Good enough for me.” With a smile and a wink that makes Ragna want to gag, he skips off to do whatever the hell it is he spends his time doing.

Jin is still avoiding his gaze. His hands curl a little tighter around the scabbard of his sword.

Shit. It’s been a long time since he’s last spent any amount of time with Jin that didn’t end in a fight. He hasn’t forgotten how to be an older brother - not at all! - but at the same time, he can’t pretend that they’re back in those idyllic days where Saya was alive and nothing was wrong. There’s too much between them for that.

Ragna sighs and gets down on one knee so that he’s closer to eye level with Jin. “Okay. What sort of mess did ya get yourself into this time.” 

Jin recoils slightly when he gets closer. There’s a soft _click_ as he slides the first centimeter of Yukianesa from her sheath. 

Cool mist curls around them.

Ragna doesn’t think much of it. The sword’s nearly as tall as Jin is now, so it’s not like he can actually wield it-

Except that didn’t stop him the first time, did it?

He remembers just in time to twist his body so that Yukianesa plunges into the meat of his shoulder instead of slipping between his ribs to find his heart. He growls and grabs the blade before Jin can start twisting the damn thing like he _always_ does.

“The fuck was that for!?”

Jin’s voice is equal parts soft and petulant as he whines, “Doesn’t Nii-san remember? I have to kill him.” He pushes his weight on the hilt, but his child’s body is too small and weak to do anything against Ragna’s grip. “Please let go. She doesn’t like it when you touch her.”

Ragna rolls his eyes and yanks the sword out of his shoulder. It hurts like a bitch, but he can’t find it in himself to be mad when the motion sends Jin tumbling in the dirt. His glare is about as threatening as a kitten’s. 

“Geez.” He tucks Yukianesa into his belt alongside his own weapon, and offers his hand to Jin.

Jin stares at it with suspicion.

“Come on now, I ain’t gonna hurt ya,” Ragna urges.

“...I hurt you.”

Ragna huffs. “Yeah, that’s ‘cuz you’re a fucking brat.”

Jin stares a moment longer before slowly reaching out. His tiny hand disappears entirely in Ragna’s.

Ragna pulls him to his feet. He’s light, even for a kid his age.

He waits a moment, but Jin doesn’t try to let go.

He’s looking away again. His pale cheeks are dusted a light pink.

Ragna chuckles. “Alright, let’s go.”

“... Where?”

He shrugs. Funnily enough, he doesn’t remember what he was doing before. “I dunno. Somewhere. Anywhere.”

“... Okay.” He squeezes Ragna’s fingers.

Sunset paints the sky pink and gold. Jin’s legs are too short to keep pace, so Ragna scoops him up in one arm. 

Jin doesn’t protest. He looks tired, as he leans his head against Ragna’s shoulder and lets his eyes fall half-closed. The bags underneath seem far too deep and dark for a child, but Ragna isn’t sure how much of this form is a true representation of the past and how much is influenced by the real, adult Jin.

Jin always struggled to sleep at night without him.

Ragna would rather die than admit it, but the reverse is also true.

His little brother mumbles something too quiet to hear, and buries his face in the crook of Ragna’s neck. Maybe he should start thinking about a place to stay the night…

He rummages through his pockets, but only turns up a couple hundred yen. 

Damn. That’s not enough to pay for a night at even the shittiest motel. He’s used to sleeping outside, but he’s debating what to do with Jin when there’s a sudden, sharp pain in his neck.

“Fuck!?” he yelps, his hand flying up to the spot. It lands on a head full of blond hair that he pulls on instinct.

Jin snarls at him. His eyes are wild, and is that _blood_ running down his chin?

“Did you fucking _bite_ me!?”

Jin makes a noise that he can’t describe as anything but feral, and tries to claw at his arm. His nails are too bitten down - and Ragna’s coat sleeve too thick - for him to do any damage, but that doesn’t stop him from trying.

Ragna grips him by the collar of his yukata and holds him out at arm's length. Jin glowers at him, and yeah, that is blood smeared across his face. 

Ragna presses two fingers tentatively to the side of his neck. The wound is already starting to heal, thank God, because he’s pretty sure Jin got his jugular. He hates to think of what would happen if Jin’s teeth were as sharp as his.

“What the hell.”

Jin turns his head to the side and spits. When he looks back, the mad light is gone from his eyes, and he hangs limply in Ragna’s grasp. “... Let me go.”

“Do you promise not to do it again?”

He sticks out his tongue. “Yes. Nii-san tastes bad.”

Ragna shouldn’t trust him, shouldn’t forgive him, but the part of his heart he had hardened against his brother is crumbling when faced with this younger version. 

“Brat,” is all he says.

Jin pouts. Ragna releases him, and he lands, catlike, on his feet. “Nii-san is stupid.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Listen, it’s getting dark, and I’m broke as hell-”

“There’s an alley near here that the patrols never check. No security cameras either.”

Ragna blinks. That’s… really useful information, actually. “... Is it really okay for ya to be given’ me NOL secrets like that?”

Jin scoffs, “It would be no good for Nii-san to get captured. He’s mine, after all.” 

Jin leads the way. The alleyway is, as promised, secluded. The angle of it makes it impossible to see into from the main street.

Aside from a few flattened boxes stacked up next to a dumpster, it’s empty. As far as Ragna’s concerned, it’s a luxury accommodation. For Jin, though…

“Ya sure this is okay? Pretty sure you rich kids prefer beds.”

“It’s fine.” He kicks a can, and it skitters into the darkness.

“‘S long as ya don’t complain.” He sets down some of the boxes to lie on. With a bit of hesitation, he unhooks their weapons, too, and leans them against the wall.

Jin casts a longing look at Yukianesa, but to Ragna’s surprise, he doesn’t retrieve her.

There’s two cardboard “beds” set up now. Ragna lowers himself onto the larger one. After a moment, Jin claims the smaller. He curls up there with his back to him.

For some reason, it makes Ragna’s chest ache. He closes his eyes despite it, and trusts his instincts to wake him up if Jin makes another attempt on his life.

His eyes snap open to complete darkness. His red right eye lets him see through it well enough to make out Jin’s silhouette looming over him. His body tenses up, ready to fend him off if necessary.

Jin sighs. It’s a soft, sad little sound. He shifts his weight from one foot to the other, then whispers, “Nii-san…?”

“Mmph?”

He fidgets silently. Ragna is about to ask him what’s wrong when he drops down and crawls up to him. With the air of someone expecting to be pushed away, he cuddles up to him.

Ragna doesn’t push him away.

He wraps his arms around the frail form of his little brother and tucks him into the warmth of his jacket.

“G’night, kid,” he whispers.

He doesn’t think Jin hears. He went out like a light as soon as Ragna pulled him closer. 

For the first time in seven years, Ragna sleeps soundly.


End file.
